Tories to force 400 primary schools to become academies

Prime Minister David Cameron vowed his government would go "further" and "faster" in their bid to dismantle publicly funded education at special cabinet meeting at an academy school in Bristol.

Ministers are set to spend £10 million to find sponsors to help them rip apart state education.

The plans mean the 400 schools will no longer be controlled or funded by their local authority and will instead be financed by private sponsors, which could include businesses, charities and other organisations such as faith groups.

"Time and time again we have seen how academies with their freedom to innovate, inspire and raise standards are fuelling aspirations and helping to spread success," said Mr Cameron.

But Anti Academies Alliance national secretary Alasdair Smith said the Tories, led by Education Secretary Michael Gove, were "privatising education on the grandest scale" and called for Labour to lead national resistance to the plans.

'We want to work with [Labour] to stop this privatisation and that means putting a line between the new Labour academies programme and the Gove programme," Mr Smith told the Star.

"The Gove programme is about social segregation and privatisation, the new Labour programme was at least aimed at social justice, which is why they put money with it."

Britain's last Labour government had already overseen the creation of 203 privately sponsored academy schools by the time they left office in May 2010.

But the Conservatives are set to put free schools and academies at the heart of their 2015 election campaign.

Labour's shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said: "Changing the type of school is not enough. We need a programme to raise the quality of teaching and school leadership, which is what makes the most difference. But under this government, we've seen 10,000 teachers leave the profession."

NUT general secretary Christine Blower added: "There is no evidence to show that academy status in primary schools will bring any educational benefits.

"Despite this the coalition government is pressing ahead regardless, removing schools from their local authority and handing them over to unelected sponsors.

"It is quite extraordinary that at a time of such huge spending cuts the Prime Minister is announcing that he is happy to spend £10m to find sponsors for this project."